Recovered Files
by iTrippedandfellforyou
Summary: The day the papers had been signed, the divorce finalized, Hungary left Austria's house. It took her only a few seconds to realize exactly which direction she found herself running in. PrussiaxHungary.
1. Battle Wounds

**Title: Recovered Files (Chapter 1/?)**

**Author/Artist: blackwingsblueeyes**

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): Prussia (Gilbert)/Hungary (Elizaveta). Germany (Ludwig). Italy (Feliciano). Austria (Roderich).**

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: None~ :D**

**Summary: To recover something, you have to have lost it in the first place.**

**AN: If anyone would like to point out the typos, I would love you forever. **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter One: Battle Wounds**

1867

Darkness surrounded Hungary as she made her way noiselessly down the familiar hallway. Her fingertips brushed the walls and doorways, keeping track of where she was. Her bare feet would occasionally nudge something, and she would cringe, afraid of breaking one of his precious possessions.

Her eyes never adjusted to the darkness.

The door rattled a bit as she ran her hand over it, reaching for the doorknob. The hinges squeaked as she pushed it gently open, just enough for her to slip through before she closed it again.

Emerald eyes slipped closed, the woman taking a deep breath as she clutched onto the doorknob. She knew she probably shouldn't be doing this. It wasn't fair to him. But she couldn't sleep tonight, no matter how hard she tried. Her mind couldn't relax, her thoughts and conscious racing and remembering.

She needed to be with him right now, if only to know that he was safe. That was the only way she would get any sleep tonight, despite how long she had tried to fall asleep by herself. She needed his comfort right now.

With sleepy eyes, she padded over to the empty side of the bed, _her side of the bed. _The moonlight streaming in from his window cast an odd light of the room, the bed placed strategically in the shadows.

The sleeping man didn't look particularly peaceful, just softer somehow. The lines on his brow smoothed, his hair tousled and falling over the closed eyes. Hungary felt a brief urge to sweep it back or smooth it out. But she didn't act on it, she was too wary of waking him.

The bed held more than enough room for two, he always left her half the space. The blankets wrapped around him looked so warm, the mattress so soft, it was too tempting to resist. She was already so sleepy, her eyes at half mast and her brain sluggish. It would be oh so easy to just slip right in beside him, to revel in the warmth and comfort he could give her.

But looking at his face, so absurdly innocent in sleep, Hungary shook her head. She wouldn't, it wasn't fair to her or him or _him. _Grabbing the blanket he had lain out for her at the foot of the bed, she spread it out on the carpeted floor, along with an extra one. The mattress squeaked as she leaned over on the bed and planted a peck of a kiss on his cheek. Elizaveta smiled when he didn't so much as stir. Reaching for her pillow, she crawled back on the floor, slipping under the first blanket and wrapping it around her. She felt so warm now, emerald eyes shut involuntarily. Her breathing evened and her pulse mellowed as she listened for his soft snoring.

The snoring had bothered her at first, sometimes it had even kept her awake. As she laid there tonight, thoughts finally at ease, his deep breaths were her lullaby, reminding her that he was up there on the bed, he was here if she needed him. He'd be here in the morning.

On the hazy verge of sleep, she murmured softly up to her sleeping husband, "Goodnight, Austria."

**~.~**

1871

Clutching his side desperately, Prussia's knees hit the floor with a thud. His eyes screwed shut as the pain didn't go right away this time. If the stings before had come in waves, this was the the flood.

Burgundy eyes cracked open hazily as he grabbed frantically, uncertainly, for something to hold onto. There, a pillow.

Prussia's nose twitched and wrinkled as he tried not to cry out. He would have thought the pain wouldn't be as sharp, these attacks had been coming more and more often these days. And it wasn't like he wasn't used to pain, anyway. He was Prussia, wasn't he? The awesome nation born battle ready. Attacks and battle wounds were something he had become accustomed to a long time ago.

So why the hell was this agony so vivid? He wasn't even bleeding. He couldn't pinpoint where exactly his lands were hurting, his head was too thick with pain.

Trembling, Prussia let his body fall softly to the floor, stomach protesting as he coughed. The tiles of the floor felt so nice and cool against his cheek, the sensation a welcome distraction to the searing haze running through his veins and in his head.

Prussia let his eyes slip shut, clinging to the pillow as the pain refused to go away. He still wasn't shedding any blood, that was reassuring. His people were okay.

So maybe for now, it would be okay for him to try and just sleep this off. Maybe when he woke up, he'd feel good enough to eat something. He knew he should be hungry, it had almost been an entire day since he'd last eaten. He'd definitely be hungry when he woke up.

_Yeah, he'd just sleep the whole thing off. No more pain, he'd be back to normal by tomorrow. He was just too damn awesome to let something like this knock him down._

Those were pretty thoughts in theory, but a quiet part of Prussia couldn't help but doubt them as he coughed up the first of the blood. Burgundy eyes widened dazedly, he could feel the wounds starting to slice up his side, right under his ribs. The fabric of his shirt clung to him, darkening wetly. Blood.

Maybe he was already asleep. This was only a dream, a nightmare of past events. And when he woke up, she'd be there to take care of him. She was _always_ there to take care of him after he woke up.

Black blurred the edges of Prussia's vision, his body reacting naturally to the agonizing pain, to the blood loss. Sleep would come now for sure, whether he wanted it or not. Prussia wasn't going to be stubborn, he wouldn't fight the blissful numbness.

Because he knew that once he woke up from this damned nightmare, she'd be there. If only so she could scold him, she'd be by his side.

Or at least, that's the best he could hope for in this lonely, distressing mindset. So it was with this kept in mind that Prussia let himself succumb to the agony, let the numbness overtake him and make him practically giddy to be relieved of it all.

Eyes shut, smiling serenely, Prussia couldn't tell if the hands worrying over his side were his imagination or not. He automatically shed away from the faint coolness pressing against his forehead. He thought he could feel someone's petite, warm hand wrapping tightly around his.

He was almost completely numb now, he couldn't feel the sensations anymore, the good or the bad, but he knew the pain was still there. He could sense the person still by his side. With great effort, he lifted his eyelids just slightly, wincing.

Burgundy eyes closed again almost instantly, but not before he could make out who was with him.

"...Thanks... West... you too... Ita...ly..."

**~.~**

1918

It was with no small amount of shame that Elizaveta had felt relieved upon hearing the news. Austria and Hungary were to be two separate nations again. She wasn't a big enough liar to say that she wasn't grateful for this.

She was. Oh god, she was. The day the papers had been signed, the agreement finalized, she had found herself practically bolting out of their house. It took her only a few seconds to realize exactly which direction she found herself running in.

And then she turned back around. Her steps back were sluggish, that same compelling force slowing her down, trying to turn her around. She had turned back and forth so many times she had made herself dizzy, before finally setting her course back to Austria's house.

It wasn't their house anymore. It had always been his, she had only been temporary.

Hungary needed to think things through, she couldn't just go running off _(falling back into his arms like some damned romance novel). _It was too fresh, the divorce was hardly even finalized. She was still living in Austria's house, it would be a slap in his face.

And what was she expecting anyway? It wasn't like Prussia would be happy to see her. She had hurt him, attacked him at the very least physically. She wondered how many people had been hurt, how battered he had been. Was he taking care of himself? What if a wound had become infected, did he know what to do?

Her teeth worried over her bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing as knocked curtly on the front door to the house. In her haste to leave, she had forgotten her key. The door opened a few moments later, Austria was never one to keep someone waiting. His eyebrows raised a little, his lips parting.

"I didn't think you would be back for a while," he said, stepping aside to let her come in.

Her shoulders slumped a little. "I changed my mind," she explained, hoping he would understand but not wanting to elaborate.

"That's good, because... there's something I need to tell you." Austria shifted nervously, eyes staring pointedly at a spot on the wall above her head. "You need to hear it... before you go see him."

Hungary flushed, almost ashamed that he had been able to figure things out so easily. "I -- "

"Why don't you sit down?" Austria never interrupted her when she was speaking. Hungary could read the tension in his body language, his unwillingness to look at her. Her stomach prickled, his aura slowly starting to affect her.

"What's wrong?" Her voice was a bit harsh, one she rarely used when speaking to Austria.

"Please sit down." She did, not taking her eyes off of him. She couldn't help but notice that he was standing with the armchair between them.

He took a breath. "I-- I've disgraced myself. I'm sorry, Elizaveta." She could see his knuckles straining where he gripped the top of the armchair. "Th-- I... My boss..."

Elizaveta's mouth twitched. He had called her by her name, he rarely even used it on special occasions. "Roderich." Her eyes sought out his, compassion trying to show through. "Just tell me what's wrong."

He didn't seemed consoled. His knuckles were less white, though. "...Elizaveta, do you remember the letters you sent to him?" She nodded. "And you never received a reply. I... They never made it to Prussia."

Austria cleared his throat, hand coming up to run through his hair, messing it up. Austria always kept his hair immaculate. Hungary stayed silent.

Without a response, Austria seemed to get almost fidgety. "I took them," he admitted through clenched teeth, cheeks blazing. "I... I didn't want... I needed you here with me. I didn't want him to convince you to leave. But it was inevitable, I knew that if you kept in touch, it would only make it harder on both of you... We were married, I didn't want you to be put in a position where you would be... tempted. I'm sorry, Elizaveta. I didn't want you to have to choose between your country or yourself.

"I didn't read them." He moved abruptly to one of the bookcases, reaching up to the top shelf and pulling a small box down. "Please, take them. I'm sorry." He placed the box in Hungary's hands, kneeling down to be eye level with her.

"Elizaveta, I love you. You're my closest friend, and please understand that I didn't do this to hurt you. Please do not be angry with me, I know you have more than enough reason to be." He looked up at her for the first time, violet eyes flickering for a moment.

Hungary still didn't speak. She was quivering, so so _so_ mad, betrayed. He hadn't trusted her. But he loved her enough to try and protect her.

"There's something else, Elizaveta. It's something that Germany told me a few years ago, but I didn't think I should tell you..." His eyes glanced away again, embarrassed. "Right after we first got married, he came here. Prussia came to see you."

"...What?" Hungary shook her head, emerald eyes screwing shut. "No, he didn't. I never saw him. I haven't seen him, I would have told you."

"I know, I know. Germany didn't tell me much of anything, just that Prussia came back half-dead, practically starved and dehydrated, and all he would say was that he had gone on a trip. That he had gone to Hungary."

"I... " There must have been something in her eyes, because they stung and watered even as she tried to wipe it away with her sleeve. She stood abruptly, towering over the still kneeling Austria. "I... have to go."

Clutching the box of letters to her chest, her feet hammered up the stairs, taking her to her room, _their _room. She grabbed her old suitcase out of the closest, yanking as many clothes as she could off the hangers and stuffing them in. She snatched her wallet and hairbrush off the dresser, shoving them into the bag and zipping it up.

She already had her hand on the doorknob when Austria finally stood back up. He turned to her, shame evident in his violet orbs. She couldn't leave it like this. But she was.

"Elizaveta..." His eyes did not plead with her to not leave, they were asking for something else, something more important.

"It's... It's okay, Roderich. I forgive you," were the last words spoken before she swung her bag over her shoulder and left.

She wasn't sure if she was lying or not.

**~.~**

**Historical Facts~**

**Italy, most northern German states, and some central German states were allied with Prussia in the Austro-Prussian Wars. **

**~.~**

**So... where's Elizaveta going to go? I think it's rather obvious where she's gonna end up...**

**Now for some pimpage~! For anyone who wants to find some good DenFin, check out the author, ****overcast, ****on fanfiction****. ****The less popular pairings really need more love, it's kind of sad. ****There's even some PrussiaxHungary in a couple of his**** stories XDD**

**I kept going back and forth on this one. I'm really excited to see where it goes, though. And I'm still looking for a beta... *sweatdrops*... I guess no one's interested, that's okay C: But if you happen to spot any errors, I would love it if you pointed them out. I didn't edit this one very much, I have a killer headache that's making me feel sick DX Stupid summer heat. **

**At the risk of sounding like a broken record, _review, please?_ Thank you for reading C:**


	2. Letters and Invitations

**Title: Recovered Files (Chapter 2/?)**

**Author/Artist: blackwingsblueeyes**

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): Prussia (Gilbert)/Hungary (Elizaveta). **

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: None~ :D**

**Summary: The day the papers had been signed, the divorce finalized, Hungary left Austria's house. It only took her a few seconds to realize exactly which direction she found herself running in. PrussiaxHungary.**

**AN: Chapter Two is dedicated to everyone who reviewed and commented. Thank you so much, you guys.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Two: Letters and Invitations**

Prussia really hated his back door.

His front door? Oh, yeah, that was perfectly likable. Nice, friendly people came knocking at his front door. Traveling salesmen had their hopes crushed there. It was unpredictable who would come by, there was always someone different.

There was only one person who ever had the gall to invade far enough into his territory to surprise him at his back door. And she usually didn't come bearing happy news.

Well, if he was being completely honest, she usually didn't come by at all. His back door hadn't been bothered in over half a century, and frankly, he liked it that way.

No really, he did.

She hadn't even tried to contact him, he was used to it by now.

Life was moving on around him.

Prussia made sure to keep the days as interesting and awesome as they always had been. He had West to annoy and Feliciano to entertain him and make him laugh. It was always fun to watch West's reactions to the Italian, too. Poor guy... he was in pretty deep, as far as Prussia could tell. The Italian practically had him wrapped around his little finger, and they both didn't seem to even notice.

So yeah, life was totally good. He had things to distract him, people to bother and embarrass. Life was _fucking awesome_.

... Except when he went home at the end of the day, and the distractions left, the people said goodbye. There was nothing for him in his house except himself and the memories that haunted the place.

He always went in through the front door now.

As he walked up the porch stairs, a small brown box left off on the top stair caught his eye, out of site of the street. Someone had wrapped string around it a couple times to keep the lid on tight, but the box didn't look like anything official or important. Just a box.

Interest mildly piqued, Prussia scooped it up, juggling his keys to the other hand. It was pretty heavy for such a tiny box. Where the hell had it come from anyway? It didn't have any names or addresses on it. Again, it was just a box.

Prussia let himself into his house, leaving the key on the table in the entryway and setting the box down on the kitchen counter. He was pretty hungry, having politely _(sort of)_ declined after Italy had offered to make him pasta for dinner. He had nothing against noodles, he just really didn't feel like eating them for _every damn meal _of _every fucking day. _Seriously, West ate the stuff most of the time, and if that didn't prove the whole finger-wrapped thing then Prussia didn't know what did.

Opting for something simple, Prussia stuck a potato in the oven, checking the clock. His eyes flicked to the box sitting on the counter, then back to the oven. He had a couple minutes before his food would be ready.

The string was a little tough to get off, whoever had tied it had done a damn good job. He fished his pocket knife out of his pocket, popping the blade out and cutting the bindings with little difficulty. A bit aggravated, Prussia opened the lid to find it filled with papers. Packed to the brim with envelopes, to be more specific. It wasn't anything cool, this wasn't a present. There wasn't any secret treasure hidden inside this mysterious box. Nah, someone had dumped their office work on him.

Prussia pulled one out, eyeing the letter distastefully. The handwriting on the back didn't match the one of the front, he found as he turned it around. In tidy, elegant script, it was dated, October 1867. The year that...

He flipped it around again, eyes narrowing as he studied the front. It was definitely a letter addressed to him, but the return address didn't have a name. The ink was smudged in several places too, making it difficult to read some of the words. The paper was yellowing just a little, the only clue to prove the age.

There must have been a hundred letters in total in the box. _At least!_ He checked the back of a few others, but as far as he could tell, October 1867 was the oldest one. Sliding the edges along his fingers, Prussia twirled it around for a moment. Well, it _was _addressed to him, he may as well open it.

_Gilbert,_

_Hello. How have you been? I think I've started getting used to things in the new environment and I'm doing well. I met a new nation the other day, or new to me at least. She was very sweet and polite, Liechtenstein is her name. I'm sure you would love her if you met her, she's one of those people that are hard not to like._

_Maybe I can come visit soon? Would that be okay? I want to see Ludwig too, I haven't seen him in a while, I miss him and his dogs. _

_I miss you, too, Gilbert. Alot, actually. So hopefully I'll see you again soon. Remember to take care of yourself, and to eat right, that's important too. And not just potatoes, eat something green for once._

_~Elizaveta_

_P.S. It's kind of weird without you around to constantly bug me._

...Was this a joke? This letter was over fifty years old and it was just now reaching him. _What kind of bastard of a post man would do that?!_ (1)

...Had she really written this?

Did she mean it? He hadn't had any contact from her in years, he had thought that she didn't want to talk to him anymore. Or that her _husband _had ordered her not to.

Ignoring his grumbling stomach and forgetting about the potato in the oven, Prussia dumped the box over on the kitchen table. There was so many letters, he was almost afraid they'd spill over.

If the dates on the back were accurate, he had a lot of sorting to do. This was going to take _forever._

**~.~**

Prussia was mad. No, scratch that, mad was too soft a term. Prussia was _fucking pissed._ The stupid letters were all there on the table, not a single one left unopened. And they were laughing at him, each and every one telling him about all the things he hadn't been apart of. All the things he'd missed, been left out of. She had the nerve to always mention in each one how much she missed him, how she wished he'd write back to her or visit or do _something_ to get in touch with her.

Why hadn't she just come to see him? Why had she waited for some kind of response, an invitation?

His vision narrowed as his eyes practically turned to slits. _He didn't need this_. His life was fucking awesome without her. He hadn't had to feel bad in years, that damned pain in his chest was only a distant memory. He had a routine now, things to expect, no more surprises. No excitement, no feelings that he couldn't bottle up and put labels on.

With one swift move of his hand, the letters went crashing to the floor, a few fluttering off the table lazily. The damn things were fucking mocking him. He couldn't even look at them without feeling sick and pissed and just... bad.

He needed to leave the house, get some fresh air, take a walk. Maybe the letters would be gone by the time he got home again. _Now there's a thought. _

Grabbing his coat from where he'd thrown it on the couch, Prussia grabbed his keys off the table. He headed back into the kitchen for a moment, eyes widening a little as they noticed the oven. _Shit..._

As he turned the knob off and opened the door, Prussia coughed when the first thing that hit him was the smell. The blackened blob of what used to be a potato was smoking, but not actually on fire, so he figured it was okay to leave it for now. He left the oven door so it could air out.

With that disaster averted, Prussia strode to the nearest door leading outside, less urgency in his steps than a moment ago. With his hand on the doorknob, it struck him that he hadn't used this door in almost half a century. His back door, _the one she always used to use._ Fingers flexing a little, the door stuck a little as he forced it open.

After locking the top, Prussia was startled--he practically jumped out of his skin when he almost ran into a person sitting on the top porch step. He could only see the back of their head, but the long, wavy brown hair made his teeth clench. The person turned, emerald eyes searching his out.

She was the first to speak. "I didn't know if I should knock or not."

They stared at each other for one limitless, thick moment. Prussia tried to ignore the way his eyes automatically traveled over her body, taking her in, noting that despite everything, she hadn't changed a bit. She still managed to steal the breath from his lips.

Prussia grunted in response, teeth grinding as he took the steps two at a time, avoiding her eyes. Honestly, the nerve of this woman... His feet stomped with a bit more force than necessary, the grass crunching under his boots. He didn't need to look back to know that she wasn't following him.

His mind couldn't help but remember that she had been waiting for some sort of response from him, some invitation for her to come and see him _(and West). _Whatever her reasons, whether this was her husband's prohibition or not, she had waited for him to reply.

The road to town looked so tempting, it looked so much more peaceful to leave this whole ordeal behind, to leave _her _behind on his back porch steps. He could feel his fingernails digging into his palms, his foot tapping on the ground, as he looked back over his shoulder. Her head was tilted pointedly towards the ground, hair tumbling over her shoulders with her bangs covering her eyes. Her shoulders sagged.

Burgundy eyes closed, brows furrowing in frustration as he bit the inside of his cheek. _He was too damn proud for this_. In a voice that was especially harsh, he called back across the lawn to her, "You gonna come with me or not?"

_**~.~**_

**(1) I'm terrible, I blame everything on the post man. But really, post men and women are awesome. **

**~.~**

**It is my new mission to reply to every review. So um... for the anonymous reviews that don't have emails, I'm just going to reply to that here C:**

**callista_rhian: I'm trying not to spoil anything, but I am a firm believer in happy endings C: Because really, if we can't even have happy endings in fiction, where's the hope for reality? And I love this pairing so much, I'm happy you do too. I do have a thing for unrequited love though -guilty smile- It makes for some amazingly heartbreaking writing. I will refrain for your sake though, and try not give in to the temptation of putting some in :D Thanks for the review XD I hope you like the update, I tried to get it out fast C:**

**Um, I won't be able to update for a little while. My aunt is going to take me away for a week, and I don't think I'll really have access to a computer D: But I will update as soon as I get back :D**


	3. Morality

**Title: Recovered Files (Chapter 3/5)**

**Author/Artist: blackwingsblueeyes**

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): Prussia (Gilbert)/Hungary (Elizaveta).**

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: None~ :D**

**Summary: The day the papers had been signed, the divorce finalized, Hungary left Austria's house. It only took her a few seconds to realize exactly which direction she found herself running in. PrussiaxHungary.**

**AN: Okay, change of plans. The trip was called off D': Stupid weather. I love rain, but the one time I'm actually gonna do something fun, it just _had_**** to pour outside D: But that's okay, cuz my friends and I ended up having a water balloon war in the downpour XDDD **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Three: Morality**

The air seemed to slow around them, offering little relief to the humid summer night. Between the heavy air and silence, Prussia wouldn't have been surprised if he'd suffocated right there on the side of the road. The crescent moon up in the sky cast a slight glow on the tops of everything, creating a bit of a halo on his walking partner's head.

As they trudged along the dirt path, ruby eyes flitted around, settling on anything--the field to his left, the royal blue atmosphere above him--as long as it wasn't the person sauntering along next to him. It was disconcerting to know that she was with him right now, that she was paying attention to his movements, that she was really noticing him. They were back together after over fifty years of being apart.

It was strange how comforting this seemed to be. She was right next to him, he could hear her effortless breaths, he could sense her moving at his pace. If he just raised his hand, he could touch her--poke her--prove that she was really there by feeling her.

...He hated it. He didn't like this ease in which everything was falling back in time, back to what they used to be. He didn't want to feel this slight awkwardness, not knowing what was acceptable to do, how he could treat a married woman. Because that's what she was now, _married. _

Prussia wasn't cultured, he didn't really have set morals, he was particularly vulgar at times. But he would never be 'the other man'. Never ever, no thank you. Maybe to piss off the aristocrat, he would consider it. But although he danced and toed along the line of morality, Prussia knew when the right time to steer clear of it was.

Little puffs of dust rose up every time one of them took a step, Prussia noticed as he glanced down at their feet. His eyes watered a little as a bit got into his eyes, so he tilted his head back up, studying the sky. If he only glimpsed it fleetingly, the stars weren't bright enough to notice. But on closer inspection, if he squinted his eyes _just right, _the teeny pinpricks shown through the velvet cover.

"It's really pretty tonight, isn't it?" Prussia was mildly surprised at Hungary's sudden observation, snapping him out of his half-hearted stargazing.

"Uh huh."

Hungary cleared her throat softly, her eyes connecting briefly with his before he swiftly turned away again, crossing his arms against his chest. He was sure his glare was enough to burn holes up in the sky.

He quickened his steps a little, his longer legs carrying him farther ahead of her with each step. She was practically jogging to keep up with him, her hair bouncing and fluttering behind her with the effort. He could see the river now, the town wasn't too far ahead even though he couldn't actually see it yet.

He slowed down a little as they crossed the bridge leading over the river. He couldn't help but stretch his hand over the stone railing, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips, the cobblestones smooth and bumpy under his fingertips. Hungary paused for a moment at the top of the arch, leaning over on her forearms and gazing underneath at the river, a peaceful expression adorning her features although her hair was a mess.

Prussia kept walking without her.

Her feet pounded down the road after him, footsteps echoing slightly in his eardrums. He huffed a little when she caught up with him, arm stretching out to him but stopping just short of actually touching him. His hand clenched, his knuckles straining. He kept up the fast pace.

"Jeez, slow down, will you? You'd think you're trying to loose me or something," Hungary complained after a moment, laughing a little carelessly. He could hear a bit of the seriousness in the request, though.

_Well, screw you. _He wasn't going to slow down, if she couldn't keep up, that was her own problem.

His footsteps hastened as they finally made it to town. Everything was dark, most of the light coming from the moon and stars up above. The few businesses in town had already closed shop for the evening, reminding Prussia of just how late it was. The lights were off in most houses, but there were a few dimly lit windows here and there that made the narrow set of Prussia's eyes soften.

The town wasn't any place important. There were no significant features or attractions to attract many visitors. The houses were a bit smaller than average, the vibrant paint on some even chipping and peeling. The roads weren't paved, there was no official inn for travelers to stay at. If someone was bold enough to ask, more than likely there was some gentle soul who would offer you a roof over your head for a night.

This town was one of Prussia's favorite places in the world. It was his home, his quaint little village of people that represented what he loved most about his kingdom. People who took pleasure in the simplicities of life, who weren't afraid to laugh and party and have fun in the midst of wartime.

He wondered if Hungary liked that about his people too.

_No, he didn't wonder that. He did not just think that, he really didn't. He didn't care if she liked his cities, or his people, or his countryside. He just didn't care._

Hungary coughed from over to his left and burgundy eyes automatically flickered to her. "You're blushing," she stated simply, grinning brightly at him, before picking up her own pace and practically dancing off in front of him.

Prussia's boot scuffed the ground a little, he steadied himself as he suddenly felt a little off balance. _Damn her and that stupid smile she throws around out of nowhere_. He was not blushing, dammit!

Cheeks flaming--in rage, not embarrassment, of course--Prussia noticed the intervals between houses widening as they started reaching the outskirts of town. Hungary slowed down a little, glancing over her shoulder while she waited for him to catch up. Her gaze attempted to capture his, but his eyes deliberately turned skyward, his fingers lacing behind his head as he strutted lazily now.

Hungary sighed somewhat impatiently as he reached her. "Aren't we going to turn around now? We've gone pretty far."

Prussia shook his head, eyes looking off farther down the road to where it started to bend. "The road goes in a circle. We're heading back already."

"Oh... All right."

The two fell into an easy synchrony, his left foot taking a step every time her right one did. The breeze had picked up now, chilling the atmosphere and bringing the unmistakable scent of rain his way. Rustling through the trees, the wind caressed Hungary's hair, fluttering it around and causing it to tickle Prussia's bare shoulder.

He shuddered, rubbing at his skin, eyes narrowing nastily at the offensive lock of hair but making no move to distance himself from her. His hand reached up instinctively to tuck the strands behind her ear, but fell limp at his side again before he actually did it.

The silence was a bit strained.

And it stretched on.

Walking along the dusty path, close enough to feel the body heat radiating from her, Prussia took a deep breath. And then he took another hearty lungful, shoulders lifting and dropping along with his diaphragm. His mouth parted, words ready to bubble from his lips.

_He didn't know what to say_.

Hungary beat him to the punch, much to his chagrin. "So... how's Ludwig doing?"

"He's. Fine."

"And Feliciano?"

"Good."

"What about Ludwig's puppies?" she attempted.

"Annoying."

"...What about you?" Hungary's voice carried through the wind, hardly loud enough to pick up the last word.

His response was immediate, his words and tone snappish. "I'm doing awesome. Fuckin' fantastic, okay?"

They were getting ready to cross the river again now, he could see the bridge coming up just a little bit away and he could already hear the water ambling down stream in the shocked silence after his comment. Maybe he was being a little bit harsh. It didn't matter, she deserved it right now.

She had waited fifty freakin' _years_ to come and see him. It didn't matter that she had wrote him letters, he had never received them. She should have come sooner. And anyway, what was she expecting? Did she want him to throw her some kind of 'Welcome Back' party? Because that was never going to happen.

Her words were gentler now, less sure than a moment ago. "That... That's great. I'm glad that you think you're happy."

Her footsteps slowed a little, Prussia wasn't sure anymore if that made him want to speed up or slow down with her. He opted for the latter. Even if she was about fifty years late, she _had_ come to see him and all... He wasn't a gentleman, but he did know how to treat a lady.

Even if that lady acted more manly than most of the men he knew and had the brute strength of an elephant.

"I _am_ happy," he muttered after a beat, eyes casting off to the side, looking out over the river as they crossed it. This bridge wasn't as sturdy as the last, he could feel the water rushing under the wooden boards beneath his boots.

This time, Hungary's footsteps stopped completely, she reached out and snatched both his hands, forcing him to face her. "Are you? Look me in the eyes right now and tell me that you're happy. That you're satisfied with leaving things as they are. If you can do that, if you can _really_ convince me that things are better off this way, I'll leave. I won't come back if you don't want me to."

Prussia's jaw set, his hands clenching beneath hers as he pulled her flush against him. Her breath tickled his neck, his lips grazed her cheek as he practically _purred_ into her ear. "I'm happy without you."

He could feel her heart racing against his chest, his ears just barely caught her sharp intake of breath. At the moment of shocked silence, her arms came up to wrap tightly--_painfully_--around his shoulders. She gasped into his chest a few times, stuttering words he couldn't quite catch, the fabric on his chest absorbing everything.

"_Sorry. Sorry. Please. I'm so sorry."_

She leaned up on her tip toes and placed two desperate kisses to his cheeks. Her lips lingered on the left corner of his mouth.

Prussia's back stiffened, his pulse freezing. _W-What the hell...? _This was supposed to be Hungary. The manliest nation on the face of this earth.

And she was shaking, clinging to him, whimpering pathetic little apologies to no one, and basically doing a whole shit-load of things that Hungary would never do.

"G-Get off me..." he protested, his hands finding her shoulders and holding her away so that he could see her face. She was crying, just like he'd thought. Her eyes were closed stubbornly, her teeth worrying over her bottom lip as she pointedly tilted her head away from him. A fresh tear found its way down her cheek.

He was sure they looked like lovers or something stupid and intimate like that, what with her arms thrown easily around his neck and his hands steadying her. She was so close to him now, it would be so agonizingly easy to just angle his head and lean down to steal a kiss. Maybe she wouldn't even mind. Maybe they both wanted this.

Her eyes opened after a moment, inquiring up at him through thick lashes, asking for something. Looking at him not like a friend would. God knows that best friends shouldn't look at each other like this. They shouldn't be wrapped in an embrace like this. They shouldn't _want _to be tangled in each others arms this way.

Especially not when one of them was already taken.

As the thought struck him, Prussia pushed her away roughly, stepping back to glare hotly at her. "You're married, Eliz. Don't do that to me anymore." He rubbed the back of his neck as it tingled, unpleasantly surprised at the loss of contact.

Hungary's mouth fell open just a bit, her arms falling to her sides limply. She tilted her head a little confusedly. Prussia tried not to think about how pretty that made her look, her head cocked with her hair falling in one eye.

She turned away from him for a moment, leaning over the edge of the bridge and staring transfixed at the water in the same fashion she had earlier. She brought the hem of her shirt up to wipe across her eyes, and Prussia's eyes did _not _zero in on the exposed section of her midriff. He hardly even noticed, really.

All the moisture gone, she glanced back at him with fiery, narrowed green eyes.

"I can do whatever the hell I want to, Gilbert. I'm divorced."

**~.~**

**D: Suckish ending to a suckish chapter.**

**callista_rhian: Hey, person in Cana-- wait, who~? Lonely!Prussia is made of win (_...I'm not lonely, dammit!_). So, so true. The things Germany has to put up with... for love~ ...Ahem, I'll shut up now b: Thank you so much for the lovely reviews~! Oh yeah, and I'm going to guess that your talking about on livejournal... Well, I've only posted stuff to the prussiaxhungary comm, not the main one. So maybe that's why you haven't seen them? But if you look on my profile here, there's a link to my journal. Friend me~ _If you want to..._ **

**According to a commenter on the last chapter, this story is already dead. It's awful and boooo~ring. The plot goes nowhere, and the characters are out of character. I use the word awesome too much. And I lack description. I am inconsistent, sometimes I suck, sometimes I'm just hardly decent... There are a ton of mistakes... I need to stop writing about Prussia and Hungary... And then she made fun of me because apparently it was getting really annoying that I was asking for a beta... And basically, to sum it all up, I fail as a writer... and she is sooooo~ much better than me... She said more, but I won't put any profanity in this note... :C**

**And I am ashamed to say that it made me cry. My writing is the little bits of my soul that make it down on paper, so after I read all that I felt like my intestines just got sawed out with a dull spoon and danced on by soccer cleats. I felt sick and weird and... just really, really bad.**

**My journal is now friends locked. _She made fun of me for that too..._**** Maybe I'm being pathetic, but I do post this other places besides my journal, so it's not like I'm blocking anyone off completely. And the only people besides her that read my livejournal anyway are my friends C:**

**But I thought about what she said.... I thought about it long and hard... and now I am determined to fix all that stuff! I will try to be better and not be an epic fail of a wannabe writer... *sweatdrops* This might be harder than I thought... that's a long list of things to fix and that's only the condensed version of what she said... But nevertheless, I will **_**try.**_

**Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me anyway, it means a lot to me C: I'm thinking there's about two chapters left. Maybe only one, I'm not sure. I hope you will keep faith in this story, I truly am trying.**


	4. Convince Me

**Title: Recovered Files (Chapter 4/5)**

**Author/Artist: blackwingsblueeyes**

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): Prussia (Gilbert)/Hungary (Elizaveta).**

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: None~ :D**

**Summary: The day the papers had been signed, the divorce finalized, Hungary left Austria's house. It only took her a few seconds to realize exactly which direction she found herself running in. PrussiaxHungary.**

**AN: Words cannot describe how much I appreciate you guys. Seriously, you're amazing C:**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4: Convince Me**

_With her tears wiped away, she glanced back at him with fiery, narrowed green eyes._

"_I can do whatever the hell I want to, Gilbert. I'm divorced."_

~.~

The world froze on its axis.

Okay, maybe that's being a little melodramatic. But everything inside Prussia seemed to still as the implications of the statement set in. The blood running through his veins, the pounding of his heart, the thoughts flitting around his head all seemed to cease to exist for just a moment as he stared slack-jawed at her.

Then, after the almost tipsy beat of silence, Hungary took a step towards him and the spell was broken. His heart stuttered nervously, his shoulders rolling back as he stiffened. Half-finished thoughts fired off in his brain. _What does that mean...?_

Her intense eyes were still on him, reading his every reaction and waiting for his response. He steeled his expression carefully, lips pursing and brow wrinkling, his flushed cheeks the only betrayal of his true feelings.

"Awe- awesome. Cool. That's great for you. Do what you want to do." He purposely tilted his head upwards, almost_ childishly_ away from her. "But I don't care."

She responded almost immediately, voice dangerously low. "Don't you?"

With forest eyes still locked on him, she made a seemingly innocent move towards him, and he instinctually jerked away, his arm grazing the bridge railing. "Did you read the letters?" she asked, her eyes softening a little.

He ignored her skepticism of him in her first question. Burgundy eyes slipped shut for a moment as he shuddered a breath. _Those damned letters_. His eyes cracked open just slightly, looking directly into hers through his thick blond lashes.

"Yeah, I did." The words were spoken as ice, sharp with frigid smoothness.

The corners of her crimson lips held the barest hint of a smile. Prussia recognized the faint metallic of blood as he bit his lip, narrowed eyes still locked with hers. She seemed content to just stand there and study his answers, but he wasn't. Twenty questions was an unfair game, and he didn't invite her along with him so she could interrogate him. With a small scoff towards her, he turned his back to her and leaned against the railing on the _opposite _side of the bridge as her.

He could have sworn he heard her chuckle.

"What about 'em anyway?" he mused broodingly. His hands griped the railing, tension arching his back. "It's not like I really cared about what you had to say. I just read them cuz they were addressed to me and it'd be snobby not to... And anyway, you wasted your time writing them, writing about how much you missed me, and how you wanted to see me... and West. I don't care about all the fun you were having with Liechtenstein. I don't even _know _her. It doesn't matter to me. The point is, you _didn't_ visit. They were just words on a page. You didn't miss me." He scoffed, smiling sarcastically. "If you really _missed_ me, you would have fuckin' come here. You would've walked for days, bloodied up your feet, exhausted yourself, gone without sleep, just so you could get here faster. You would've swam across ice cold rivers, marched through boundless pastures. If you really wanted to see me, you would've done something about it.

"If you missed me, you would've proved it," he finished. He licked his lips, swallowing the strange metallic tang and was surprised at the tightness he found in his throat. His molars ground together as he frowned at the rushing water.

Hungary stayed silent from wherever she was behind him. He continued, "Yeah, I bet you _really _missed me. I bet you did do all those things. I bet you came to my house, and you saw with your pretty green eyes all the things you and your _hubby_ were doing to me." He chuckled sarcastically. "Ha, yeah right... Do you have any idea?" In an instinctual movement, he whirled around, fingernails digging into his palms as he faced her.

"Do you even _understand_ what you guys did to me? I bet he thought it was real funny. Oh _no_, it's not enough to just take my closest friend from me. Pfft _hell no_, he has to go and make her bloody me up while he's at it. ...Look. _Look_ at what you did to me." His hands gripped the edges of his shirt, fidgeting with it for a split-second before he pulled it up over his ribs.

Hungary didn't gasp. Her eyes didn't go as wide as saucers, there was nothing outwardly dramatic about her reaction. She simply stared.

He couldn't blame her for staring. The scars, the mars, the burns, the _flaws_ across his abdomen were excessive, made even more prominent against his pale, almost translucent skin. Not all of them were caused by Austria-Hungary---not even half of them---but he wasn't going to mention that.

Hungary's hands slowly made their way to cover her mouth, her body quivering as deep emerald eyes fell shut. Her eyebrows knit, her hands falling once again to rest limply at her sides.

Prussia let his shirt fall also, turning to face up the river again, turning to face _away from her._ "Was it worth it?" he asked almost silently. "Do you really care so little about me that it wouldn't matter if Prussia died? You ganged up on me, you were fuckin _slaughtering_ my people. You said you missed me, in those letters you said you cared about me, and _then you turned right back around to Austria and helped him attack me_? ...Was it better with him? Did you like his side? Do you _enjoy_ hurting me?

"I came to see you, after the war between us was over," he admitted on a spur of the moment. "I missed you, and I _acted _on it. I went to Hungary. And you weren't there anymore," he crowed sardonically. "And if that wasn't enough... I walked practically nonstop for_ days_ just so I could get there faster. I hiked through valleys and over hills, walked until every step I took _burned_ the soles of my feet. All for nothing, because you weren't even there. And when I came home, when I was burned out and exhausted and just ready to puke, who's there waiting for me? Not you--_ha,_ _definitely not you--_but the French bastard, deciding he's gonna take advantage of me. If you knew the things he tried to do-- "

"Shut. Up." Startled at her agonized interruption, Prussia turned to glimpse Hungary. Tears were pooling in her eyes, the forest green pools wide, flooded with regret and guilt and torture. "I'm sorry, okay?! I'm _sorry_ I wasn't here. I'm _sorry_ I wasn't brave. I'm sorry I took his side. He's my friend and I love him. I'm the only one who can protect him from you."

Prussia's eyes flashed and he sneered, "You have no clue. You really don't get it, do you? _Words_! That's all you can deliver, meaningless words that you don't back up. If you missed me, show me. If you're sorry,_ prove it_."

His insides clenched painfully as Hungary made no move towards him. His breath held for a moment, that final moment of waiting after more than half a century.

Hungary remained motionless.

Prussia's pulse quickened, he bit his lip again and swallowed. Okay, so he had his answer. She didn't have anything to prove.

Hungary's mouth opened, but she seemed to change her mind about whatever she was going to say, breaking eye contact with him and looking down towards her feet. Prussia's eyes flittered back down the road where they had just come down. His heart stuttered a bit-- _no it didn't. Honestly, he wasn't excited at all_-- when he turned back to her and realized that Hungary was a few steps closer to him than she had been a moment ago.

Her voice started out strongly, "I missed you. Everyday." She took another small step towards him. They were practically touching now, he could feel her against him every time they took a breath. "I thought about you." Her hand rested itself on his hip, pushing him gently against the railing. She leaned into him, her eyelids falling shut as she breathed in. Aquamarine eyes opened up again, to gaze up at him through half-lids. The way she was looking at him... no, it was too much to hope for.

"Yo-you know what? I take it back. You don't have to prove anything to me." He forced his lips up at the corners, his eyes crinkling as he grimaced. He grabbed her hand and forced it off of his and onto her own hip. He tried to push her away, but her hands came up to grip his shoulders firmly as she stumbled a bit at his shove, her face so alluringly determined. The spark back in emerald green eyes.

"I don't care. You need to know this," she muttered softly. She looked up at him, her eyes so confident and assertive, and hesitant and nervous at the same time, a conundrum in themselves. Prussia couldn't meet her eyes this time, his cheeks starting to feel a bit too warm. Her hands tightened on his shoulders.

"I didn't forget about you," she murmured rashly, standing on her tiptoes so they could be face-to-face, her arms wrapping around his neck. Her warm breath sent a tremor down his spine that he couldn't hold back. His bottom lip jutted out just a bit, his nose crinkling as he glared half-heartedly at her.

Sanguine eyes unfocused hazily when she kissed him, his lips parting slightly. Just a chaste brushing of lips that didn't really convey any emotion. She leaned away after a moment and his hands scrambled to hold her to him without his conscious consent to touch her. His reflex to resist crumbled. He crushed their lips together deliriously, renewing that addiction he was cut off from fifty years ago.

"I love you," her lips whispered against his.

And then she proved it.

**~.~**

**Historical Facts:**

**The Franco-Prussian war happened only a couple years after the Austro-Prussian war.**

**~.~**

**A big fan:**** You made my day, honestly. That's pretty much one of the nicest things anyone's ever said to me. There really isn't that many stories about Hungary :C For some reason, I really thought it was funny how you called it **_**Hungary/**_**Prussia instead of Prussia/Hungary. seme!Hungary ftw~! And really, ****thank you so much for everything ^^**

**naria-satome:**** Thanks so much~! XD**

**VOR:**** Uwaaaaaa~ I'm so glad you think so! Thanks so much, and I'm sorry for the slow update ^^;**

**~.~**

**I'm having a love-hate relationship with that ending. I hope it's not too... disappointing. **

**One more chapter! Hopefully you guys can forgive me for the super slow update this time DX A big thanks to overcast and raisaol for giving me the nudges I needed ^^**


	5. The Universal Law of Gravitation

**Title: Recovered Files (Chapter 5/5)**

**Author/Artist: blackwingsblueeyes**

**Character(s)/Pairing(s): Prussia (Gilbert)/Hungary (Elizaveta).**

**Rating: T**

**Warnings: None~ :D**

**Summary: The day the papers had been signed, the divorce finalized, Hungary left Austria's house. It only took her a few seconds to realize exactly which direction she found herself running in. PrussiaxHungary.**

**AN: Last chapter. I won't make excuses, it's so incredibly late TT__TT **

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter Five: The Universal Law of Gravitation**

Somewhere along the line, sometime after the clouds had broke and it had started pouring on them, Prussia had separated himself from Hungary and led her home, both of them feeling kinda drugged up. The chilly water had soaked both of them to the bone by the time they trampled through his front door, and they left puddles every time they hesitated in step. In a mechanical trance, the albino had tossed Hungary a towel and pushed her into the bathroom to take her hot shower. He hesitated outside the door, listening to the shower curtain be pulled back.

Maybe he felt a little better when he heard Hungary give a satisfied sigh as the hot water finally started up. The puddle at his feet started to get ridiculously big, so the albino figured it would probably be best if he dried himself off.

When he got into his room, he locked the door behind him.

He pulled the first pair of pants out of his drawer that his fingers touched. His wet clothes stubbornly clung to him as he stripped, but he hardly noticed. Climbing into bed, he tousled his hair almost nervously. He wanted to stay up a little longer, but he'd rather be in bed--_pretending to be asleep_--when Hungary got out of the shower.

Ruby eyes closed, and he started counting to a hundred in his head. Even after he got to thirty, it didn't really make him any sleepier, so he changed languages and started counting in Italian. Anything to distract him from over-thinking about what had happened. What she'd said. What he'd felt. What would've happened if the rain hadn't provided an easy out for him.

_Otto. Nove. Dieci._

Hungary had kissed him. That meant next to nothing, really. Just because you kiss someone, doesn't mean you really, truly love them.

_Quindici. Sedici. Diciassette._

She'd actually said the words. Out loud. To him. But just because you say something, doesn't mean you really, truly mean it.

_Ventiquattro. Venticinque. Ventisei._

Maybe she did actually mean it. Maybe she loved him.

_Ventinove._

Maybe she didn't.

_Trentuno._

Maybe it wasn't so cut and dry. Maybe what they had was something in between. Not love. Not hate. Not exactly friendship either. Something else that didn't have a name.

_Cinquantuno._

Thinking about it, Prussia didn't even know what love _was_. If love had been what most people said it was, then Hungary didn't love him. And he didn't love her. You can't do things like that to someone you love. You don't knowingly hurt the person you 'love'.

Because isn't love supposed to be doing your best to make someone happy? To be around for them when they need you? Prussia was sure he'd caused Hungary more aggravation and hardships than happiness. And Hungary hadn't been there for him when he'd needed her.

Wasn't love something tender, something fragile? There was nothing fragile about the way they'd been touching each other earlier. There was absolutely _nothing_ tender about what he'd said to her on that road.

Prussia would never be able to love like that. He was a fighter, not a lover.

_...Well, crap. He'd lost count of his number._

The albino let his eyes open a little, staring sleepily at the darkened ceiling. The rain outside had died down, only small flashes of lightening at random intervals now. He had the urge to look out the window and see how the sky lit up with electricity and power. But with his fingers tapping against his thighs, he rejected the impulse and tried to lay as still as possible.

It took only a few moments for him to get antsy again. His foot twitched. He popped his knuckles absently, breaking the quiet of the dark bedroom. He cringed when the water for the shower finally shut off, leaving the house even more hushed than before.

Okay, so sleep was out of the question. Because he could hear Hungary in the next room over. His ears couldn't pick up specific sounds, but with common sense, it was obvious that she would be changing into her nightclothes now.

Not that he really cared or anything. But it was... _awkward_ to know that she was getting dressed. As in, not fully clothed yet. In the next room over...

Well, that probably meant her hair was still wet. Hadn't he heard once that if you went to bed with wet hair, you'd be sick by morning? And he couldn't have a sick person germing up his house. He'd have to let her know. About the wet hair thing. So she wouldn't get sick and infect him and the house.

His feet didn't cooperate with him as he got out of bed, he stumbled a bit before he made it out of his door. It was so _not _his fault, though. The floor had to have tripped him somehow.

Darkness surrounded Prussia as he made his way noiselessly down the familiar hallway. His fingertips brushed the walls and doorways, keeping track of where he was. His bare feet would occasionally nudge something, and he would kick it irritatedly. His eyes adjusted quickly, though, so he could see the shine coming off the guest room doorknob.

As he turned the knob, the albino hesitated half way. _What was his reason for coming again?_

...Oh right, going to bed with wet hair causes colds.

His eyebrows lifted mockingly as he frowned at himself. Really, he could do better than that. That was a totally lame excuse for barging into the guestroom.

He turned around slowly--clenching his fists when he bumped into yet another random object on the floor. The rain was picking up now, he could hear it hitting the windows. Prussia had been right in making them head home. No one would want to be caught in the middle of a strangely sad, heavy downpour like this. Or maybe someone would, if they liked melancholy things like that.

Maybe a year ago, Prussia would've welcomed the angst of that.

But tonight, even in the confusion and misunderstanding he felt after she'd kissed him and said those things, he couldn't bring himself to be unhappy. There was just something about someone telling you that they loved you. Something about it that made it irrelevant if the person was exaggerating her feelings or not.

With his eyes at half-mast, Prussia gripped the railing of the stairs, conscious of not falling down the staircase. _Not that he'd ever do that, of course. _He was Prussia, he didn't fall for anything.

The albino didn't bother putting on shoes before he stepped outside. He wasn't even sure why he was heading out into the rain, having rejected the dreary idea only moments before. But he didn't know what he wanted to do, where he wanted to go next. But Prussia knew he didn't want to go to sleep.

So it seemed like an alright idea to sit down on the back porch of his home, rest his elbow on his knee and his chin on his hand, and study the precipitation. The rain was blocked from hitting him overhead, but random drops would occasionally plop down on him from cracks in the overhang of the porch. It was too cold for him out here--_he still only had on the random pair of pants, not even wearing a shirt_--he probably should've gone straight back inside.

But there was that same striking feeling about this rain, that aura he'd brushed fleetingly when him and Hungary had stood on the bridge. He couldn't even begin to describe the imprint it had on him, it was too complicated and he had never been particularly good with putting feelings into words.

The feeling wasn't going away this time, and something about it made him almost _want_ it to be permanent. He kind of liked it, the effect it had on him reminded him of... Hungary herself.

As she crossed his mind, while he sat there restlessly on the porch steps, Prussia felt the first stirrings in his gut. The nagging feeling wormed its way into his stomach, the one that whispers that maybe you've done something wrong. Maybe you messed up. Maybe you could've handled that situation better and been a little less harsh.

Maybe you're a hypocrite.

Maybe it's _your_ responsibility to fix it and take your own advice.

Because although they'd kissed and touched and conveyed things through actions, the problem hadn't been solved. Fifty freakin _years_ worth of loneliness doesn't just vanish when three words are whispered.

Prussia still hadn't forgiven Hungary. She'd given him so many new scars.

But this damned _feeling_, this feeling of rain and hurting and wanting and then _smiling_ again after it all, this feeling was telling him something else. This feeling was unruly, it was compelling him to do something. This spirit was ready to fix a problem. Ready to figure out exactly what the problem was in the first place.

Even as Prussia was struggling with himself, the rain was still falling effortlessly, naturally giving the earth its bath. The same rain that would stay up in the clouds, stubbornly defying gravity, until it finally let itself fall.

_That was the answer, though, wasn't it?_

Getting to his feet, Prussia literally shook with childish excitement. He shifted from foot-to-foot jumpily, tilting his head to stare up into the dark clouds. His hand stretched out and he let the rain slip through his fingers, then he brought it up and ran his fingers through his hair. He took a deep breath, and then he was in the house, locking the door, going up the stairs, all before he could even think of anything other than his revelation.

_Sometimes, you make your own problems. _

Okay, that had sounded a lot more philosophical in his head.

But it was true. He'd told Hungary to act on what she wanted. He'd criticized her for not doing anything to prove her point. He'd been surprised when she had.

And then Prussia hadn't proved anything to her in return. All he'd done was yell at her. He hadn't even let her finish showing him what she meant--although that was more of the rain's fault, for interrupting them.

On his way back down the dimly lit hall, he bumped into one of the boxes he'd kicked before. The lid slid halfway off, and Prussia kneeled down irritatedly to fix it. It was the box filled with letters, of course. Because _really_, what else would it be? The thought crossed his mind to open all the envelopes back up again, to study every word she'd written. He could spend hours longer just imagining the scenes she described in them, her adventures with Liechtenstein, and _Austria_. He wondered what it would've been like if he'd proposed to her instead of Austria. Would their stories have been more interesting than hers and Austria's?

And then Prussia wondered why it mattered.

Smoothly, he pushed the box back against the wall, and finished going down the hallway without knocking into anything else. He paused at her door for a minute, hand hovering up to knock. That was a ridiculous notion, though, at three in the morning. So he turned her doorknob easily and just stepped on in.

He crept quietly up to her bed--his stealth skills _were_ top notch--proud that the blankets didn't so much as twitch. He grinned in the dark, his fingers crossing just a little, and then he turned and let himself fall into the bed backwards, arms spread wide. He bounced a couple times, his elbow nudging the girl's side as the springs of the bed squeaked. She growled something unintelligible at him, a warning of some sort. Ignoring it, he crawled under the covers, the fort burning with warmth and numbing his senses after having just been outside in the cold air.

He ran a hand through her hair thoughtlessly, and Prussia laughed when she went stiff as a board. Ironically, her hair wasn't even wet.

"If you ever scare me like that again, I'll kill you," Hungary griped sleepily.

"Ya know, you saying that just makes me want to do it again." Prussia smirked, surprised at the genuineness of the gesture, the easy way he could let himself smile.

She turned on her side to face him. The albino lifted the covers over their heads, sealing in the warmth. Hungary groaned, "What time is it?"

"I dunno. Like, three something or other."

A beat passed, and then Hungary smiled wanly at him. A musing, eye-catchingly earnest smile. Not a smirk or a grin. Not a taunt. A _smile_. Prussia let himself keep looking and not turn away from it.

"...Well, what do you want?" she asked softly, the smile wilting. Because with Prussia, there was always a catch. They both knew that.

"I dunno."

Her eyes fell back shut, almost like she was getting ready to go back to sleep. She was growing tired of this, both of them were. He didn't really have the energy for this bipolar game anymore either. Especially not after they'd had their weird, confessing moment.

"Why are you in here at three in the morning, then?" Hungary sighed.

"Because. I can be."

Something subtle changed in Hungary's face then, but she kept her eyes closed and Prussia couldn't tell what she was feeling. She just kind of softened somehow, the lines disappearing between her eyebrows. And she looked so insanely _feminine--_so different than the intense fighter she used to be and yet still so much the same--that the albino didn't have to let himself stare. He wouldn't have been able to not to.

"You're... beautiful_. _Maybe we would work_._" Prussia cringed inwardly, but let himself say what he was thinking. It was probably the stupidest, shallowest, _sappiest_ thing he could've thought about letting out. But those words were _exactly_ what ran threw his mind, and saying it was just... the right thing to do in this case. Saying what you feel isn't always rocket science, it was almost easy.

"What?" she asked skeptically, giving him a look as her eyes lifted up to his. He propped himself up on his elbow, feeling so unbelievably awkward that he almost didn't.

"I mean, I think you're uh, pretty good-looking, I guess."_ God, something tells me I'm never going to live this one down._

She raised an eyebrow, and he didn't really blame her for being confused.

"Don't play around with me, Gilbert."

Prussia felt his cheeks flush. Okay, maybe saying these things wasn't exactly _easy_, but he stood firm. "Nah, I'm being totally serious right now. Really."

"No you're not," she sighed, closing her eyes again. "I get it. I messed up. It's gonna be a while before you forgive me. But that's okay, I'll still be here in the morning. So maybe tomorrow."

He listened carefully, and Prussia let the concept sink in. Maybe _tomorrow_. Isn't that what procrastinators tell themselves, when they know they're never going to finish?

No, he really hadn't forgiven her yet. Prussia couldn't even make a guess for how long it would take him to get over the abandonment. He might not ever rely on her as much as he used to. Loneliness changes a person more than you'd think, he wouldn't be ready to integrate her back into his life for a long time.

But Prussia wouldn't ever forgive himself if he waited for that day.

So Prussia let himself fall into this, backwards and upside-down without any more hesitation. No parachute, nothing to slow his decline. Maybe he'd crash, break apart and splatter like a rain drop does when it hits the ground. Or maybe he'd land in the ocean, be welcomed seamlessly into the mess of this indescribable feeling.

He wouldn't know until he made it back down to earth.

**Fin.**

**A big fan: No, you're not an idiot. You're funny XD Updates are nice... -guilty, awkward chuckle-...**

**naria-satome:**** haha yeah, sometimes it's better to show things through actions rather than words~ _(...does that make me sound shallow?)_ Thank you so much ^^**

**Helena: lol I bet that was scary XD Sorry for making you wait so long... And thanks lots~!**

**Tixy: TT__TT I am truly, sincerely sorry for the delayed update. School started again and I got distracted :C Thank you so much! I do plan to keep writing about these two~ *gives you a hug***

**Anon: Lo siento! Gomen nasai! Scusi! Pardon! Sorrysorry! You know, I got your review and was like, _"...Screw procrastination~ I'm gonna finish this right now."_**

**_~.~_**

**So... I truly, sincerely hope you liked it. This is the last chapter of this story :C Thank you so very, very, very much to everyone who's read this. Really, you guys are my motivation~ There's definitely more PrussiaxHungary that's going to come from me, so look out for it if you'd like~ The ideas I have are probably going to be more lighthearted than this story **_**(more like 'Cacophony', if you've read that one).**_

**Please review? Thanks again to everyone who stuck with this until the end~ Hopefully, this isn't a goodbye ^//////^**


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